TPPs vow to continue hunger-strike confronting Colombo's deceit

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2018, 14:09 GMT]The twelve Tamil political prisoners (TPPs) on a hunger-strike in Anuradhapura prison on Wednesday said Colombo was trying to suppress the fasting protesters in Bogombara prison in Kandy and Magazine prison in Colombo by deploying Tamil politicians of the TNA to dilute their hunger-strike. Confusing messages were being conveyed from Colombo to Fr S. Sakthivel, a veteran human rights defender who is working hard to coordinate outside support to their campaign, the protesters on hunger-strike said. In the meantime, Jaffna University students, who started a protest walk on Tuesday reached Ki'linochchi on Wednesday. The hunger-strikers said they were encouraged by the outside mobilisation.

Opposition Leader and TNA parliamentarians R. Sampanthan and M.A. Sumanthiran have been claiming that they would be taking up the matter of TPPs with the SL President and the UNP.

However, both the SLFP and the UNP ministers are claiming that the Tamil prisoners were terrorist prisoners and there are no political prisoners.

SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, who initially said he would come back to the matter of TPPs after addressing the UN last month is now dodging to discuss the issue with Mr Sampanthan.